Front wheel bearing issue

D

DaveBPT

Member
Just replaced both front wheel bearings and races. Now am unable to replace hub enough to either remove the "wobble" from loose fit or to insert cotter key due to castle nut not going on far enough. I have checked the races and both inner and outer appear to be fully seated. Checked part number to verify correct parts. Visually inspected bearing in races. Any ideas on what else to check?

Thanks,

Dave
 
You say they have wobble, so it sounds like the drums may be getting hung on the brakes and not fully seated. Try backing off the brake adjusters (count the number of clicks) and they should slide on.
 
If the old bearings and races worked before and the drum is not hanging up on the shoes then the problem is the installation of the races or the parts themselves.I would compare the old parts with the new parts.
 
if you replaced the A1190 dust seals with reproductions that could be your problem. A number of years ago suppliers began offering reproduction A1190 dust seals that were made in India that had everything wrong with them. They will restrict the wheel bearings and create an unsafe condition. Bratton's now carry the A1190 seals that they had made to the Ford drawing.

I encountered the problem years ago. I removed the India seals and ran my car for a year without the seals with no problem until I found some originals at a swap meet.

Tom Endy
 
The procedure for adjusting the bearing is to tighten the crap out of the nut while spinning the wheel. Then back off the nut and re-tighten only to the point where you can line up the cotter pin. If you are doing this and you still have play something is wrong. Do you have original hubs? The original hubs only had dimples that the bearing races seat against. I've heard that these dimples don't provide a positive stop for the races, and it's possible that as you tighten the nut, you could be forcing the races further into the hub. You'd never get the right preload. Repro hubs have a seat machined all the way around for the race to seat against. A much better design!
 
Thanks for the reply's. I also have replaced the brakes too. I tried installing the hub without the seal and had the same result. I can tighten the castle nut to eliminate all play but the hub will not turn. Just had the thought that the brake shoes could be limiting the inward movement. I installed the races with a press and installing tool.

???
 
So. The rest of the story. Hate to admit it but I made a rookie error and put the backing plate bolts in backwards with the head of the bolt on the outside of the plate. Reversed it and everything works great.
 
DaveBPT said:
So. The rest of the story. Hate to admit it but I made a rookie error and put the backing plate bolts in backwards with the head of the bolt on the outside of the plate. Reversed it and everything works great.
Click to expand...

That's Great You Figured The Solution To Your Problem. When You Are " A Old Timer You Can Tel This Story To A Newbie !!!!!
 
When you tap on the outer race, it will make a distinct sound when it hits the stop ridge. Give it a try to be sure they are all the way in.
 
Great that you figured it out and even greater that you shared the "oops" experience for others to learn from. Thanks!
 
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